With summer upon us, the minds of some pranksters and water battlers will inevitably turn to water balloons and the havoc they can wreak. Photographer Edward Horsford's series of high-speed photos, however, invite us to see these water weapons in a different light, capturing the water the moment after the balloon has popped, but before the water has entirely lost its shape.

Horsford built his own trigger to snag these photos at just the right moment. Many of these photos are shot in the dark, with the flash focusing our attention on the water and hands. The results are certainly a technical achieve, but they're also incredibly playful, and you can see a real sense of fun in the various shots he devises. There are many more of these balloon photos, as well as Horsford's stunning macro and nature photos, at his website.